ABOUT

The professional football SoCal Coyotes are two-time AAA champions, winning the United Football Alliance League and Pacific West Football League. Head coach J. David Miller (82-19) is a member of the AAA Football Hall of Fame.

The ”’SoCal Coyotes”’ are a ”’non-profit sports leadership organization”’ that fields a professional AAA football team. The Coyotes are dedicated to “changing the culture” of AAA professional football through player mentoring and development, organizational management and dynamic service to their community.

Based in Greater Palm Springs, California, the AAA professional Coyotes are 2013 champions of the United Football Alliance League (UFAL), and 2012 champions of the Pac West.

In 2014, the Coyotes were selected as one of four teams in the new PSAFL, which in its first season will play an intense four-game spring schedule with a championship in St. Petersburg. Top-tier athletes will be showcased in competitive games and enjoy game film to market their skills. Fans, meanwhile, will enjoy entertaining spring football from thirsty players fighting for jobs in the NFL, CFL and AFL.

In the fall, the Coyotes will play for a championship in a 10-game schedule in the AAA National Developmental Professional Football League.

The team will play a total of 14 regular season games in 2014 in two different leagues.

Nicknamed “The Pride of the Desert,” the SoCal Coyotes are the oldest pro football franchise in the Coachella Valley and have won more games in their first three seasons of play than any football team in desert history.

Off the field, the Coyotes exhort players to fulfill their human potential. Every player who enters the Coyote program is asked to examine their personal values, opinions, and beliefs, and encouraged to practice daily ethical skills and competencies associated with effective leadership. As a benchmark program that raises the competence, conscience, and compassion of its players, the Coyotes are also “advocates and protectors for those less fortunate, challenged or struggling, and passionate about serving as community role models.”

==Defend the Shield: Faith, Family and Football==

The Coyote organization places a priority on faith, fatherhood and family values, and were recognized in September 2013 by the Desert Christian News for “building champions by building men.”

As a non-profit sports leadership organization, the Coyotes are respected for their strict Player Code of Conduct; Head of Household Work Leadership program (HOWL); and widespread community service. Their players are frequent speakers and volunteers in local schools, businesses, churches and charities.

The team’s published mission statement proclaims that “we see every player as an opportunity to plant a tree under whose shade we never intend to sit. Over three seasons, two championships and now thousands reached, we have addressed different cultures, backgrounds, generations and experiences. As Mother Teresa said, ‘if you can’t feed a million, start by feeding one.’ Among football teams, we are determined to lead the nation in prayer, mentor young men, instill faith-based initiatives in their lives and homes, and challenge them as men.”

The Coyotes appeared in December 2013 with WBO Champion Tim Bradley at Indio Middle School for Career Day.

The Coyotes offer their fans a “Bill of Rights,” which ensures “a wholesome environment for guests and family and an affordable, first-class entertainment experience.”

==Coyote Field at The Desert Princess Golf & Country Club==

On February 28, 2014, the two-time champion Coyotes set another AAA football precedent when they officially moved their headquarters to the five-star Desert Princess Golf & Country Club. The landmark agreement allows the team’s 53-man roster unprecedented all-inclusive amenities, from their practice facilities to golf, lighted tennis, fitness center, spa and lighted basketball privileges, and swimming pools.

The Coyotes will practice within the meticulously manicured, plush, 27-hole championship golf course – maintained by Jonas Conlan and the world-class groundskeepers of the Desert Princess. In addition to their 100-yard practice field that the team will use twice a week, the Desert Princess is creating a private 60-yard practice field that players may use along with other resort facilities at their discretion, any time, seven days a week.

Coyote practices will be open to the public and the 1,084 homes within the gated community. Beverage carts will provide refreshments, while food service will be provided in the clubhouse.

The last NFL team to utilize a golf and country club as its full-time practice facilities and headquarters was the Frankford Yellow Jackets, from 1924 to 1931. Wildwood Golf and Country Club was home to the Yellow Jackets, who were members of the Frankford Athletic Association.

The Philadelphia Eagles trace their roots to the Frankford Yellow Jackets.

==2013 United Football Alliance Champions==

Playing one of the toughest fall 2013 schedules in the nation, the Coyotes finished 7-3 and won their second league title in as many years. The Coyotes defeated four out of eight SCFA playoff teams in the regular season, including six teams in the Top 20 and, most notably, the former national champion California Raiders. The win over the Raiders would ultimately decide the UFAL title and catapulted the Coyotes into national prominence, largely because the Raiders had never lost at home in seven years. The Coyotes trailed 27-3 in the first half before staging the greatest comeback in AAA history to win, 36-33.

Safety Shaine Boyle (Faulkner University) and linebacker Devin Jones (Southeast Louisiana) reached NFL tryouts in 2013, with five more invited to Arena tryouts or camps, for a total of 10 in two years.

==’The Sheriff,’ and ‘The Franchise’==

Among roughly 800 teams nationwide, quarterback Nate “The Sheriff” Lewis and wide receiver Rashad “The Franchise” Roberts have developed into one of the most prolific passing tandems in AAA football history. A “homegrown” Coyote star, the 6-6, 230-pound Lewis played collegiately at Dixie State after starring locally at nearby Cathedral City High School.

Roberts, 5-10, 210, was a prep star in Atlanta, Georgia, before playing collegiately at College of the Desert. He earned the nickname “The Franchise” after a 19-touchdown rookie season in 2012, followed by 24 more in spring 2013.

Lewis holds all Coyote marks and most AAA records for yards, completions, average yards per completion (15.9), average yards per game (357.7), and touchdowns. Lewis has now thrown for 8,957 yards and 90 touchdowns in 25 complete games as a Coyote. Lewis averages a touchdown every 10 attempts.

Roberts, now in his third season, holds every club receiving record, most notably 57 career touchdowns. In 12 games in the 2013 fall season, he had 75 catches for 1,438 yards and 12 touchdowns, for a 20.23-yards-per-catch average. Over his Coyote career, ‘The Franchise’ averages a touchdown every third reception.

Despite the tandem’s overwhelming success, opposing defenses consistently underestimate the deep speed of Roberts, and the strength of Lewis’s arm. Three times Lewis has thrown deep touchdowns—two to Roberts—from his own end zone.

The Coyotes core receiving fleet also includes star veterans Mario “The President” Brown, and slotback Josh “The Flyin’ Hawaiian’ Asuncion. Brown had 36 catches for 421 yards and seven scores in 2013, while Asuncion is a clutch third-down tactician who averages 11 yards a catch. Coyote receivers are repetitively coached to “run competitively to space,” converting pass routes on the run, and the familiarity between Lewis and his receivers is a competitive advantage.

==The Darkside Defense==

The Coyotes ‘Darkside Defense’ was developed under former assistant head coach Wayne Anderson Jr. and nicknamed when the team wore all-black uniforms during the winter-spring season of 2013. The Coyotes have punted only 29 times in three seasons, which puts great pressure on a defense that often lives in the shadow of the Run ‘n’ Shoot. Players like safety Ryan Pervine, a budding superstar who led the ‘Darkside’ with 43.5 tackles in 2013, revel when opposing teams underestimate the Coyote defense.

All-American strong safety Michael “Bo” Bovain, and eight-year veteran nose tackle and former Defensive Player of the Year Cedric Cox, have anchored the unit since the team’s inception. The ‘Darkside’ is also home to defensive end Jordan Cornell, former Coyote Man of the Year, and cornerback Dana Prieto, former Rookie of the Year. Other mainstays are linebacker Paul Thomas and cornerback Ricky Davis, who both had 21 tackles in 2013.

Anderson is a popular Coyotes consultant and assistant who brought 25 years of experience from the high school, NCAA and pro levels, including Florida Atlantic University, Waynesburg University and Edward Waters College. In the professional leagues, Anderson coached in four different countries, and led the Bari (Italy) Patriots to a 2012 division title. Anderson accepted a job as offensive coordinator of the St. Petersburg Tide for 2014, which made the AAA Hall of Fame Bowl his last at the helm of the Coyotes’ Darkside Defense.

==Billboards, Mobile ‘YAPP,’ Media Day, Radio and Coyote TV==

The fiercely marketed Coyotes have developed a local, national and international following. Visitors driving in and out of the Coachella Valley on I-10 corridors are greeted by their ‘Pride of the Desert’ and ‘Faith, Family and Football’ billboards. Coyote games and coach’s shows are broadcast live worldwide via KXPS Team 1010 and their mobile ‘YAPP.’

The Coyotes publish more than 5,000 photos and stories annually on social media platforms such as Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter, and Instagram. On August 21, 2013, the Coyotes held their first-ever preseason ‘Media Day,’ which drew a packed house at Central Park in Palm Springs, and was attended by local radio, television and print news, including The Desert Sun.

Under the direction of Los Angeles filmmaker Spencer Lee, the team launched its own “Coyote TV” channel in 2013, offering game film, highlights and original programming. Miller and Lee are also Executive Producer and Director of ‘The Mouse That Roars,’ a 30-for-30-style documentary film on the career of Coyote mentor and football revolutionary Darrel “Mouse” Davis (See ‘Run ‘n’ Shoot Roots,’ below).

On January 17, 2014, Lee was hired as the first video coordinator of the expansion Los Angeles KISS of the Arena Football League.

It was a standing ovation to the Coyotes, and the opportunities they provide every player and professional within their organization. The Coyotes place an enormous premium on verifiable data, which begins with broadcast-quality, high-definition game film — allowing the team to attract the nation’s best talent who need film and high-level game experience to advance.

==Howl & Prowl Coach’s Show==

The SoCal Coyotes ‘Howl & Prowl Coach’s Show’ is heard live each Wednesday night at 6 p.m. PDT. Head Coach J David Miller is joined by Matt McKay, “The Voice of the SoCal Coyotes,” and analyst Sam Maggio.

The show can be heard at www.team1010.com, or via the Coyote Mobile ‘Yapp’ or the Team 1010 Mobile app. The Coyote Mobile ‘Yapp’ is available free on iTunes Store or Android Market by searching ‘SoCal Coyotes.’

Based in Palm Desert, KXPS “Team 1010″ is the flagship station of the SoCal Coyotes, and is also home to the Oakland Raiders, San Diego Chargers, USC Trojans and UCLA Bruins. The show frequently features celebrity guests, athletes, and topics, and is an entertaining mix of interviews, calls, emails, and texts. The program is frequently laced with the mission and ministry of the non-profit Coyotes, along with current events, thoughts and opinions.<ref>http://team1010.com/</ref>

==Head Coach J David Miller==

J David Miller is a AAA Hall of Fame coach, best-selling author and award-winning marketing and communications strategist.

Miller was named Southern California Football Alliance 2013 Offensive Coach of the Year. In 2012, he was named the AAA National Coach of the Year. In three seasons, Miller’s Coyote teams are 27-7, with three consecutive bowl appearances, two league titles, and a national champion runner-up. Miller has experience at every level of football.

The AAA Football Hall of Fame made Miller a unanimous ‘Class of 2013′ inductee for his “ongoing 30-year contribution to the sport as an author, administrator and coach.”

Miller is widely known as an author of 13 books. His latest, “Super Agent: The One Book the NFL and NCAA Don’t Want You to Read,” with Dr. Jerry Argovitz, currently is available at Barnes & Noble. He has collaborated with numerous NFL coaches and players, including Jerry Glanville.and Hall of Fame coach and Super Bowl champion Hank Stram.

Miller played briefly for the Pittsburgh Gladiators in the Arena Football League under Western PA Hall of Fame head coach Joe Haering. He has directed marketing campaigns for several other teams, and served the Tampa Bay Storm as Senior Vice President.

==Run ‘n’ Shoot Roots with a Hawaiian Punch==

Relying on mentor Darrel “Mouse” Davis – an NFL and NCAA legend and godfather of the modern spread offense—Miller and the Coyotes have used their vaunted Run ‘n’ Shoot attack to lead three different leagues in total offense. Miller also clearly draws on his experience with SMU head coach June Jones, with whom he authored the book, “Hawaii Warrior Football: A Story of Faith, Hope and Redemption,” which four-time Super Bowl winner and former Washington Redskins GM Bobby Beathard calls “required reading for building a winning program.”

Offensively, the Coyotes are a “pure” Run ‘n’ Shoot team, based strictly on the disciplines and concepts of Davis, whose theories date back to 1962. There is never a tight end, or fullback. Davis is a frequent consultant to the Coyotes, personally authored the Coyote playbook, and is an occasional visitor to their sidelines. For the most part, the Coyotes use the 1985 Denver Gold (USFL) playbook, with modern modifications and notes from Davis.

On game day, the Coyotes give quarterback Nate Lewis “the keys to the car.” Lewis calls his own plays, and audibles as constantly as the defense attempts to adjust. Most Coyote pass routes are unspoken sight adjustments between the quarterback and his receivers.

The record-shattering Coyotes have scored more than 30 points 10 times, more than 50 four times, more than 60 twice, and more than 70 twice.

Three players from the June Jones-era of Hawaii’s 2007 Sugar Bowl run are now Coyotes, including kicker Dan Kelly, right tackle Aaron Kia, and wide receiver Jason Rivers. Rivers is Hawaii’s all-time leading receiver, and will play for the Coyotes in 2014.

==2014 AAA Football Hall of Fame Awards & Bowl==

The efficacy of the SoCal Coyotes organization earned greater Palm Springs the rights to host the 2014 AAA Hall of Fame Awards & Bowl, the first time in 21 years the event had been held outside of Las Vegas, Nevada.

The Desert Princess Golf & Country Club in Cathedral City stepped forward as the official headquarters and host of the ‘Class of 2013′ AAA Football Hall of Fame Induction & Awards Dinner, held on January 10, 2014, the eve of the bowl game. The Desert Princess Palm Springs Golf Resort became the official host hotel, and the Official Vacation Destination of the SoCal Coyotes.

At a January 4, 2014, press conference, it was announced that corporate underwriting from Chevrolet-Cadillac La Quinta, Desert Regional Medical Center, and the Desert Princess Golf & Country Club and the Desert Princess Palm Springs Golf Resort had secured the game for the Coachella Valley. Chevrolet-Cadillac La Quinta was announced as the ‘Official Auto Dealer’ of the AAA Hall of Fame Bowl. The Desert Princess was announced as the permanent event headquarters for the annual AAA Hall of Fame enshrinement ceremonies.

During the history-making Coachella Valley AAA Hall of Fame Bowl press conference, Anthony Caridi, general manager of Chevrolet-Cadillac La Quinta, rolled a brand new CTS Cadillac – 2014 Motor Trend’s Car of the Year – into the lobby of the Desert Princess, and announced that his dealership would pick up the tab for every fan who bought a car if the high-octane Run ‘n’ Shoot offense of the SoCal Coyotes failed to score in the game.

Caridi’s daring bet came only weeks weeks after a car dealership in suburban Seattle was forced to eat $420,000 in a similar giveaway when the Seattle Seahawks shut out the New York Giants.

Before a packed, standing-room only crowd, Coyotes head coach J David Miller and center Brian “Porkchop” Gollnick were among 22 Class of 2013 inductees. During the ceremony, legendary Run ‘n’ Shoot godfather Mouse Davis — the event’s keynote speaker — was also enshrined. Hall of Fame officials called the 2014 awards the best in the event’s 21-year history.

To ensure the game would be entertaining, the Coyotes loaned the Nationals their backup quarterback. In a wild shootout played under rules to protect quarterbacks and kickers, the Coyotes lost to the Nationals, 38-35, before a sold-out crowd of 1,216 at College of the Desert. It was the first AAA game ever played at the university stadium, and the first sell-out in AAA Hall of Fame Bowl history.

==Franchise-Record 2013 Home Opener, Season Attendance==

On August 24, 2013, bumper-to-bumper traffic snaking from the I-10 corridor off Cook Street toward the bright lights of Xavier College Prep made it clear the valley was ready for the 2013 debut of their desert champion SoCal Coyotes against the San Diego Spartans. A standing-room only, franchise-record crowd of 2,231 turned out for the team’s first game in the vaunted Southern California Football Alliance, and the Coyotes didn’t disappoint.

Behind a blistering demonstration of the quick-strike Run ‘n’ Shoot offense and the suffocating Darkside Defense, the Coyotes whitewashed the visiting South Bay (San Diego) Spartans, 44-0. As a worldwide radio audience listened live on Team 1010 KXPS, the Coyotes rolled up 501 yards behind four touchdowns from quarterback Nate Lewis.

The Coyotes easily led the United Football Alliance League in attendance, averaging over 1,000 fans a week.

==First Pro Day 2013 Scouting Combine==

On July 13, 2013, the SoCal Coyotes held the Coachella Valley’s first international pro football combine with trusted scouting services utilized for verified data by the NFL, CFL, Arena Football League, and teams across Europe.

The Coyotes made all participants verified data and information available to NFL, CFL and Arena Football agents and scouts.

One pro scout in attendance stated, “Every second-tier team claims to be a stepping stone to the next level. Unfortunately, it’s the opposite. Pro teams and pro scouts look down on minor-league football because the data can’t be verified and the organizations are dysfunctional at best. The Coyotes are a different story. They are a first-class organization, and have all the relationships and resources to be a trusted feeder program.”

Twenty-six players participated in the Coyotes historic first pro day. Players from as far away as New Orleans and Atlanta would play for the Coyotes on recommendations from scouts and coaches who deemed the Coyotes a proving ground for star players “needing quality film and game reps.”

==Historic 2012 Catalina Kickoff Classic Champions==

On December 8, 2012, the SoCal Coyotes made history when they became the first professional home football team to ever play in Avalon on historic Catalina Island, 26 miles off the California coast.

The bowl game was scheduled as the “Catalina Kickoff Classic” for the upcoming 2013 Pac West season, and the 2012 Pac West Champion Coyotes were told by the league they would receive their championship trophy from the league commissioner at halftime. The league commissioner never showed, however, and neither did the trophy. So the outraged Coyotes, who had outscored teams that season 251-90, did what they do best: Score. Against a SoCal Elite team made up of largely Division I talent, the Coyotes systematically dismantled them, 56-8.

As ocean fog blanketed the field and temperatures dipped into the low-30s, quarterback Nate Lewis — AAA football’s National Player of the Year — went to work in the Coyotes famed Run ‘n’ Shoot offense, dissecting the Elite defense with pinpoint passes, while S-back David “The Diesel” Cathcart softened them with punishing runs underneath. In the first half alone, Lewis completed 17 of 21 passes for 331 yards and four touchdowns, while Cathcart had 21 touches for 134 yards, including pounding long runs of 16, 22 and 35 yards and catches on screens and swing routes totaling 39.

Lewis found Rashad ‘The Franchise’ Roberts six times in the first half, for completions of 12, 16, 13, and 19. But it was his two long touchdowns that electrified the crowd and the Coyote sidelines. Against the Elite’s base Cover Two defense, Lewis checked down to the X Go.

The quarterback and receiver synced perfectly on a tight spiral that traveled 55 yards in the air, and Roberts outraced the Elite defense the rest of the way for a 67-yard score.

Near the end of the first half, Lewis — masterfully calling the offense from the shotgun at the line — called the 55 hook/corner out of a two-by-two set, and Roberts curled up at 18 yards, made the catch, wove through five defenders and sprinted 53 yards to pay dirt. Slotback Josh “The Flyin’ Hawaiian” Asuncion caught five balls for 88 yards in the first half, including a spectacular 90 Switch, over-the-shoulder touchdown that Lewis spun from 46 yards away, dropping the ball perfectly just feet from a diving, outstretched defender.

Lewis ran up a 38-0 halftime lead before head coach J David Miller mercifully retired him to the bench.

Miller later would be criticized by Run ‘n’ Shoot purists, who argued that Lewis would have broken every single-game passing record had the coach allowed his star quarterback to play the second half.

==2012 Pac West Champions, National Runner-Up, Spring 2013==

In 2012, the expansion Coyotes won their first playoff game in history with a dominating 31-7 victory over San Diego to advance to the Pac West Football League championship with a 10-1 record. During the regular season, they had won by scores of 50-0, 58-8, and 48-22, but in the Pac West Championship game faced the Sin City Saints, a team that had surrendered only 35 points all season.

Regardless, quarterback Nate Lewis threw for 294 yards and Rashad “The Franchise” Roberts scored four times in the first half as the Coyotes jumped out to a 35-14 lead. The Saints battled back valiantly in the second half, but punishing S-back David “The Diesel” Cathcart took over the clock and the game, rushing for a team record 209 yards on 22 carries. Lewis would finish with 31 completions in 42 attempts for 378 yards.

The 10-1 Coyotes advanced to the national championship against the New Mexico Titans in Las Vegas, where they lost by a field goal in the game’s last minute. The Coyotes had dedicated their season to Davis, and the innovator joined them on their sidelines in full Coyote coaching regalia. Davis and Lewis would appear the next day in a color photo on the front page of The Las Vegas Review-Journal.

In 2012, the Coyotes rolled up 5,212 total yards. Playing back-to-back seasons, the Coyotes finished second in the Wild West League in spring 2013, with a record of 10-3, and continued to shatter records with 4,154 total yards. Three players reached Arena League tryouts.

In 2012, quarterback Nate Lewis was named National Player of the Year and Miller Coach of the Year by the Western Football News. In the National All-Star Game in Las Vegas, Lewis threw for a game-record 351 yards and three touchdowns, two to Rashad Roberts, to lead the West to a stunning 26-6 upset. Lewis was named Most Valuable Player, and Roberts was awarded Offensive Player of the Game.

Colorado All-Star Mondo Delgado Jr. caught the third touchdown, and was so enamored with the Run ‘n’ Shoot he would sign and play with the Coyotes in 2013.

Miller coached the West and earned his first All-Star victory, and afterward dedicated the win and his career to Davis.

==SoCal Coyotes Individual Records==

”’SINGLE GAME PASSING/TOTAL YARDS & TOUCHDOWNS”’ — 574 yards, May 5, 2012 — ”’Nate Lewis”’ v. Las Vegas Cobras (at Las Vegas/UNLV), 26-34, 574 yards, six touchdowns. In a 50-0 victory, the Coyotes scored on every possession as Lewis spread the ball among seven different receivers, including long-ball strikes of 70, 56, 44, 39 and 41 yards. (”Lewis has thrown five touchdowns in a game three times.”)

”’LONGEST PASSING TOUCHDOWN”’ — 97 yards, three times—May 26, 2012, ”’Nate Lewis”’ to Rashad Roberts (at San Diego) v. San Diego Thundercats, Lewis was 19 of 48 for 295 yards and two touchdowns, including the 19-yard game-winner to Flamingo Malone with one minute to play, in a 14-7 victory; March 30, 2013, ”’Nate Lewis”’ to Mondo Delgado (at Las Vegas/UNLV) v. Las Vegas Cobras, Lewis was 14 for 24 for 316 yards and five touchdowns in a 40-8 playoff win , including bombs of 41, 23 and 97 yards; August 31, 2013, ”’Nate Lewis”’ to Rashad Roberts (at Xavier College Prep/Palm Desert) v. San Diego Thunder, Lewis was 28-43 for 514 yards and three touchdowns in 44-34 loss.

”’SINGLE GAME RUSHING/TOTAL YARDS”’ — 209—July 14, 2012, by ”’David “The Diesel” Cathcart”’ (at Hemet/Soboba Casino), on 22 carries, for an average of 9.5 yards, in 49-35 Pac West championship victory over Sin City Saints.

”’MOST 100-YARD GAMES RUSHING”’ — 10—March 3, 2013, by ”’David “The Diesel” Cathcart”’ (at Henderson, Nevada), who carried 11 times for 109 yards, including scores of 48 and 12 yards, in a 26-14 victory over the Vegas Rush. The 48-yarder was Cathcart’s career-long as a Coyote and gave him his 10th and possibly last career 100-yard game. In fall 2013, the Coyotes moved Cathcart back to his natural college position of linebacker, where he recorded 21 tackles, two sacks and four tackles for loss (TFL).

”’DEFENSE SACKS/SEASON”’ — 8.5, Fall 2013, by defensive end ”’Devin Howard”’, who also had a team-high 14.5 tackles for loss (TFL).

”’DEFENSE INTERCEPTIONS/TOUCHDOWNS SEASON”’ — 11, Fall 2013, by free safety ”’Shaine Boyle”’, who scored team-record ”’10 defensive touchdowns”’. Boyle scored defensive touchdowns in four of the eight regular season games he played, and in a fifth on a punt return.

”’MOST POINTS SEASON/KICKER”’ — 82, Fall 2013, by ”’Dan “The Ice Man” Kelly”’. Kelly was perfect on PATs (49), and 11-15 on FGs. He only missed once from inside 50, and connected on 59, 48, 47 and 45, making him the most dominant of three kickers in Coyotes history.